A Help Unto Devotion, Prayer 28 – Prayer 29
28. Another of like nature, reſpecting the time of Dearth and Famine.
CLeanneſſe of teeth (O Lord) and ſcarceneſſe of bread, hauehave béene aunciently threatened by thee, as iudgements vponupon the ſonnes of men for their ſinnes. Many wayes alſo thou haſt to turne a fruit-full land into barrenneſſe for the wickednes of the Inhabitants: Thou canſt make the Heauen ouer our head as braſſe, & the earth vnderunder vsus as yron, by bringing a drought vponupon the land. Or elſe thou canſt cauſe the ſéed to rotte vnderunder the clods, by commanding ye bottels of heauen to powre out raine in too great abūdance: or when the Corne is come vp, yu art able to ſmite it with blaſting & mildeaw, or to ſend among vsus thy great hoſte, ye graſhopper, ye canker, the caterpiller and the palmer worme, ſo that although much bee ſowen, yet little ſhall bee brought into the barne. Or if the Corne doe grow ripe vntounto the harueſt, it is in thy power ſuddainly to ſend in an enemy, to eat the fruit of the land, and to deuoure the labour of the people. And though the bread do come to be ſet in plenty before vsus, yet thy hand is not ſhortened, yu canſt take away ye ſtaffe thereof, ſo that wee ſhall eat & not be ſatiſfied. Thus (O Lord) yu haſt euen ſtore-houſes of puniſhments, ſo that our hearts can not endure, nor our hands be ſtrong in ye day that yu ſhalt hauehave to doe with vsus. And heereof we hauehave now already ſome experiēce; For now thou haſt in part begun to puniſh our abuſe of thy creatures, our fulnes of bread, our contēpt of the ſpiritual food of our ſoules, wt outward ſcarcity: The time is com, by gréedy worldlings long exſpected, in which they may make the meaſure ſmall and ye prices great, ſelling euen the very refuſe of the Wheat; Their treading is vponupon the poore, their deſire is to ſwallow vp the néedy of the land. Look mercifully (O Lord) vponupon vsus, wée beſéech thée: lift vp thine hand, forget not the poor. Thou prepareſt for the rauen his meate when his birds cry to thee, wandring for lack of food, thou takeſt no delight in the confuſion of thy creatures: thou haſt promiſed, that if wée ſéeke to thée, we ſhall want nothing that is good, thou wilt preſerue vsus in the time of dearth, and in the dayes of famine wee ſhall hauehave inough. Accompliſh (wée beſéech thée) theſe thy gracious promiſes; Saue vsus from this encreaſing miſerie, and deliuer vsus from their crueltie, which being without all bowels of mercy, doe reſpect nothing but their owne commoditie. And becauſe (O Lord) our ſinnes doe ſeparate betwixt thee and vsus, and doe hinder good things from vsus: therefore humble our ſoules vnderunder thy mighty hand, make vsus to ſee and to conſider our owne deſeruings, drawe from vsus an hearty and ſincere acknowledgement, how great cauſe wee hauehave giuen thee to affamiſh both our bodies and ſoules for euer. GiueGive vsus an vnderſtanding of our particular groſſe ſinnes which doe lay vsus open to this iudgement aboue others: namely our wantōneſſe, our pride, our luxuriouſnes, our riot, our feaſtings without feare, our want of mercy to ye poore, our ſpurning with the héele againſt thee, our forgetting thee in the dayes of our plenty, but chiefly our loathing of that ſpirituall Mannah, that heauenly diet of thy ſacred Word, prouided in thy abundant mercy for our Soules.
O make vsus aſhamed for theſe and other our monſtrous ſins, beſides thoſe perſonall euils wherewith we are each of vsus iuſtly to be charged. Beget in vsus a care to renounce and forſake our ſinnes, equall to our deſire for the putting away of thy iudgements. Forgiue vsus in Ieſus Chriſt, and vouchſafe vsus (as a pledge of thy louelove) ſtrength and grace to walke in a greater meaſure of obedience then heretofore. And now (O Lord) teach vsus to rely vponupon thy prouiding, and to know that when all things faile, yet thy mercies are the ſame, and thy power to help is not diminiſhed. Thou canſt ſuddenly by meanes to mā vnknowen, turne the greateſt penury into plenty, thou canſt make a little to ſtretch farre, and canſt proportion our appetites to our ſtore.
O make vsus to depend on thee, and to ſtudy more how to profite by thy hand, then to hauehave thy rod remooued from vsus. And when thou ſhalt ſhew thy ſelfe to hauehave heard our Prayers, by ſending greater plenty, let vsus not forget our preſent want, but graunt that we may labour to bee thankefull, and endeauour after a more ſober vſe of thy bleſſings then heretofore. Heare vsus in this, and in all other our requeſts, for Chriſtes ſake, and for thine owne promiſe ſake. Amen. *⁎*
29. Another like, applyed to the time of ſome great contagion.
WHither ſhall wee goe (O Lorde) in the day of our affliction, but onelyonly vntounto thee! Thou alone canſt ſaue, and out of thy hands none is able to giuegive deliuerāce. Heauy at this time is thy hand vponupon vsus, and fearefull is the diſeaſe with which thou haſt afflicted vsus: Wee are afrayde one friend and neighbour of another, and nothing is before vsus but preſent death: Scarſely can we looke foorth, but we ſée ſome one or other amongſt vsus caried away to the graue, & the mourners going about the ſtreets.
Wée muſt needes confeſſe that though this he grieuous, yet it is the ſmalleſt part of our deſert; It is iuſt with thee, to ſmite vsus with botches and ſcabs that cannot bee healed, and to make the peſtilence euen to cleaue vntounto our loines and to ſwéep vsus away from off the earth, euen as a man ſwéepeth away doung till all bee gone. For, how hauehave we multiplied our iniquities before thee, and to what a ſhameleſſe and intolerable meaſure are our ſinnes encreaſed? Many warnings hauehave béene giuen by thy Miniſters, thou haſt riſen early and late, and ſent vntounto vsus by them; yet wee hauehave made our hearts as an Adamant ſtone, and hauehave put farre from vsus the euill day, perſwading our ſelues that their ſermons were but wind, and that they did but commend vntounto vsus their own fancies; Thus hauehave we encouraged our ſelues in euill, and hauehave ſet thy iudgements at nought, eueryevery one turning to his owne courſe, as the horſe ruſheth to the battell, adding drunkenneſſe to thirſt, and falling away from thee more and more. But (O Lorde) giuegive vsus now at the laſt remorſefull and repentant hearts, make vsus (as it were) to ſmite vponupon our thigh as a ſigne that wee ſee our wandrings, and that we are aſhamed of our ſinnes: Embolden vsus in the name of Chriſt to come into thy preſence, and in all earneſtneſſe of ſpirit to cry vntounto thee, Take away our iniquities and receiue vsus graciouſly. Teach vsus as well to feare ſinne, the cauſe of this waſting ſickeneſſe, as we doe the ſickneſſe it ſelfe, which is the fruite of ſinne. Comfort vsus, according to the dayes that thou haſt afflicted vsus, and let the ſwéet feeling of the gracious teſtimony of thy Spirit, ſpeaking peace vntounto our ſoules, preuaile againſt all other ſadnes, or cauſe of griefe, or ſorrow whatſoeuer. Say (O Lord) vntounto thy deſtroying Angel, It is ſufficient; holde thy hand: Or if it be thy pleaſure to ſtretch thine hand yet further, and to take vsus away alſo, O prepare vsus to thine owne purpoſe, endue vsus with a holy patience to endure the vtmoſt triall: and graunt that whatſoeuer befall our earthly tabernacles, yet our ſoules may bee alwayes acceptable vntounto thee, and al for Chriſt Ieſus ſake, who hath loued vsus, & giuen himſelfe to be a ſacrifice of a ſwéet ſmelling ſauor vntounto thee. Amen.